Everyone in the Brazil side tries to be a hero. No wonder they have dificulties to find the net. Except for Oscar and Willian plus a little Ramires who plays together on the same club.
Full time Deserved bronze medals for the Dutch, undefeated in seven games. For Brazil, it's reconstruction time.
90+5 min Maicon finishes (his international career) with a shot from 25 yards that flies 20 yards wide and 15 high.
90+4 min Robben twists David Luiz's blood, sending him this way, that, and off to the post office on the left of the box, chips in a cross that Janmaat couldn't control and smash in.
90+2 min Cancel that anti-romantic designation. Van Gaal sends on the one player who has not yet featured in the tournament, Michel Vorm for Cillessen.
Goal!! Brazil 0-3 Holland (Wijnaldum) Teriffic move, Robben holding the ball up as he pranced up the right, waiting for Janmaat on the overlap. The right-back cuts his cross back towards the penalty spot and Wijnadum crashes home a shot.
89 min With Jordy Clasie down he does make a sub - Joel Veltman replaces the midfielder.
88 min Van Gaal has two substitutions to make but he isn't going to do anything conventional or romantic is he?
85 min Holland break at pace, slicing through the Brazil defence on their left, Janmaat spinning in a cross that Maicon, take heed David Luiz, nods behind. In comes the corner, up goes Kuyt who heads it on to Julio Cesar's fist which he then takes on the cheek. It should have been another corner but the referee gives a goalkick.
84 min Hulk spins it to the near post smack in the middle of Wijnaldum's forehead. Garbage.
83 min Willian is foulded by De Guzman as he gets set to skin him down the oustide, 15 yards from goal on the right. Hulk takes the free-kick.
80 min De Vriij goes down when Maxwell shapes to trip him but pulls out of it. Free-kick for Holland. The ball is played up to Robben who goes flying when he takes it on his chest and is bundled over by Fernandinho.
77 min Holland continue to squeeze Brazil out by pressing them whenever they string a few passes together, knowing that they're not going to take it to the conclusion and keep trusting in a team move but to go for glory with a hugely selfish shot - as Oscar just does wastefully. He's got to ramp down this belief that they can do it or have to do it all by themselves.
James Johnson has some advice for the host team
If I were the Brazil 11, I would make post haste VK, plans, say to Iceland, where they have a chance to be safe and escape the screaming of the mobs.
VK = vacation, right? Jollies, etc?
75 min Jo plays the ball to Hulk barrelling in from the left and he larrups a shot from the tight angle high over the intersection of crossbar and post.
73 min Hulk replaces Ramires. Robben goes sashaying through the box and falls when he loses his balance as Fernandinho wraps his leg around the ball to pull off an excellent tackle.
71 min The Dutch almost have too many options as Wijnaldum, Robben and Van Persie in turn try to slalom their way through the box but cannot work an opening.
70 min Daryl Janmaat replaces Blind.
Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Najera says
Some moments of individually high quality play from the Brazilian side, but no moments of teamwork.
I think that's fair, Juan.
68 min Foolish decison from this inadequate referee to book Oscar for diving in the box when Blind brings him down, stepping on his foot and their knees colliding. Blind's knee was so badly jarred that he leaves on a stretcher. No contact! What a spoofer.
67 min Robben bursts out laughing bwhen he's penalised for backing into David Luiz who was monstering him like an octopus.
65 min Maicon crosses from the right touchline, blocked by Vlaar. The crowd claim the penalty and it did hit his uper arm as he made his body compact to absorb the block. Not given. Can't really complain.
64 min Oscar breaks fown the inside left gap but Vlaar spots him and stops him, belting the ball into touch as the midfielder shaped to shoot.
61 min Brazil free-kick after Maicon is brought down 25 yards from goal, taken by David Luiz to Cillessen's left and he pats it down and picks it up off the bounce.
Jean Sullivan writes
Seems as if the Brazil team think they are in a wrestling match.
59 min Good turn from Ramires, sending Vlaar off to the right then pushing off his left foot to go to the defender's left, fire a diagonal shot across goal and a couple of yards wide.
57 min Now Fernandinho wraps his arm around Robben's neck. 'Steel,' says Carlisle again. Brazil sub. Hernanes comes on for Paulinho and the sub does the splits when crashing into Robben, another card the referee hasn't got the guts to administer.
54 min Clarke Carlisle is the ITV pundit and the inconsitencies in his analysis are quite striking. Some cynical fouls are 'good for his team' or 'adding steel' while others are 'nasty' or 'cynical'. Make your mind up Clarke.
52 min Fernandinho goes for a glory chip up the inside left channel for Jo's run that skips too long for the striker but it was a strange idea given it left him one v three.
50 min Brazil corner which they take short with Willian finding Oscar who tries to find him again, does but the cross is diverted away, Robben breaks away and is fouled by Ramires 40 yards from goal on the left. He takes it quickly and launches a cross towards the far post fr Wijnaldum's run who gets under it and sends his header straight up, moonball style.
48 min When you think that Ezequiel Garay has just been sold for £6m and David Luiz for £50m does it not make you think that PSG simply have more money than sense? I know it's a kind of galactico project for the greater glory of Qatar, but even so, there shoudl be limits.
47 min Maxwell saunters up the left and fizzes in a cross that scoots across the six-yard box with no one on the end of it.
46 min Brazil take off Luiz Gustavo and bring on Fernandinho.
What did you expect? When Ronald De Boer missed his pen in 1998 in the semi-final having plyed superbly, it was his younger twin Frank who was first up to him, not to console him but to tell him where he went wrong.
Christian Swain sums up the philosphy of Brazil defending 2014-style
Looking for a goal there Blind, ere you go son, all yours!' There's no defending the defenders here
Moyen Mustaquim writes
After such an early score by the Netherlands, now both teams should be looking into football!! Like you wrote Rob, a red card would be more appropriate but the referee probably didn't want to bring an early total disaster by doing so and instead gave a penalty which would still keep the hope for Brazil wide open.
Half-time Brazil are booed off. And why not. One can have sympathy for them as men, but as players too many are helplessly negligent, deserting their positions for neither rhyme nor reason.
45+1 min There will be two minutes of extra time as the fans in the Brazilcapital give the Dutch a hard time for keeping possession. De Guzman spears a pass out to the left and Clasi fizzes it across the six-yard box. It bounces and skips away from Van Persie but to show the difference in commitment, Robben turns on the afterburners to race to the touchline to stop it going out for a Brazil throw and gets another attacking move underway.
44 min Vlaar smacks into Ramires and concedes a free-kick 22 yards out, to the left of the D. David Luiz leaves it fo Oscar who blatters it into the wall and Maxwell spoons the rebound over
42 min By comparison with Tuesday night Brazil have kept their shape better but the gap between David Luiz and Thiago Silva as well as handing Monaco the Ligue 1 title next year is ample enough for Van Persie to invade at will. This time his shot from the edge of the box is sliced to an extent and Julio Cesar dives to save low to his left comfortably.
41 min Kuyt has to go off to have a wound stapled after Maxwell split the back of his head open with his forearm as they went up for a header. The referee looks the other way.
39 min Near post ball from Brazil is touched on by Luiz Gustavo. That flicked touch takes it away from Paulinho and David Luiz at the far post who hai-karate their flying-leg attempts to toe it in.
37 min Oscar is taking the fight to Holland virtually single-handedly and rather late to start making the impact his talent should on this tournament. De Guzman brings him down cynically and is booked.
35 min It's Wijnaldum who makes the defensive header out for a corner from Oscar's free-kick but Holland break from the corner then Brazil break back. It's a yo-yo game.
33 min Wijnaldum is penalised at the edge of the area for bringing down Oscar, who takes it, curling a free-kick to the back post from the right of centre. He hits it beautifully but the Dutch mark up properly and no Brazil player has a run at getting the right timing on his leap.
31 min Brazil have tightened up by attacking rather than through better organisation as is evidenced when Robben takes a free-kick on the right and they play all around a defnece with no one pressing the ball, Wijnaldum spinning a pass through to Van Persie on the left who floats a cross/shot into Julio Cesar's arms at the near post.
Andrew Benton sees goals, goals, goals
I'm holding out for Holland 11-2 Brazil here. The Dutch do seem to be quite happy to be playing football.
29 min Burst from De Guzman ends with a shot that has too much air in it to trouble Julio Cesar.
27 min Oscar goes flying when Martins Indi crosses his path, forcing the Chelsea attacking midfielder to trip over his own feet and on of the defender's. The free-kick is sent to David Luiz at the far post but Holland are unscathed.
25 min Brazil earn a free-kick when Gustavo is felled by De Guzman but they give it away again after two touches. Holland are playing well depsite haveing aday's less rest and having put in 119 minutes more effort than Brazil in the semi-final.
23 min Oscar again works a decent position and, via Willian, invites Maicon to have a snap shot but the defender closes him down quickly, blocks with his shin and Holland break fast through Van Persie.
Evan Dunn enlightens us
BREAKING NEWS! Luiz contract is to be paid out in full by PSG as Thiago refuses to play with him at club level.
20 min Good play from Oscar, jinking his way in from the right, drops his shoulder to beat one defender then does it again for another before firing a low shot to Cillessen's left from 25 yards which the keeper gathers on the dive.
18 min If I was Dutch I'd be singing, in the spirit of Manchester United fans at Steve Foster in the 1983 FA Cup final replay, 'Thiago Silva, what a difference you have made'. I know this match in the scheme of things doesn't matter but this defending is scandalous.
Goal!! Brazil 0-2 Holland (Blind) Lovely reverse pass from Robben sets De Guzman off to the dead ball line dwn the right where he sends in a cross, David Luiz backheads it into play instead of knocking it out and Blind hooks it into the net. Meanwhile Jose Mourinho runs to check PSG's cheque has cleared. He defends like a muppet at times.
14 min Oscar takes a long ball clipped out to the left wing on his chest then lets it roll down his upper arms inadvertently. Free-kick.
13 min Whistles for a spell of Dutch possession which ends when Van Persie is pushed off the ball in an unpenalised foul.
11 min Kuyt looks for Robben down the right as he tears into the space behind Maxwell but overhist the pass. This comes moment after Cillessen gives us his famous 'Cillessen Turn' in the box. Cruyff Turn > Cillessen Turn.
9 min Brazil look rattled again, not in the same way as against Germany, but playing manically, pinging passes just a a few mph too fast. Oscar takes a calming free-kick, rolling it down the left for the first-time cross into the box which was just ahead of the leaping Jo's nose.
7 min Holland are breaking fast and Wijnaldum plays a chipped pass over the top for Van Persie to stretch his legs. His pass is blocked and Robben fouls when he tries to workd the ball back.
5 min Maxwell goes bombing up the left, scoops in a cross that flashes across the six-yard box and Ramires just fails to get free of Vlaar and measure the bounce to hook in a shot.
Goal!! Brazil 0-1 Holland (Van Persie, pen) He hit it with his left foot high to the left of Julio Cesar. Was it a penalty? Probably not. It was definitely a foul but it was outside the box. Having said that it was a clear goalscoring opportunity so he deserved a red card rather than the yellow it received. If their best defender does such a daft thing after being left isolated by his recklessly bold full-backs, their brains must be fried.
2 min Holland penalty after Thiago Silva hauls back Robben who was free and just about to enter the box.
1 min Holland kick off and make their way up the right with Dirk Kuyt winning a throw-in up the right and they switch play via the back three until Willian races out of midfield to hound Martins Indi who smacks it back to the keeper.
20.59 We're moments away.
20.58 A proper big Dutch pennant is being handed over.
20.56 Tears flow in the crowd during the Brazil national anthem. The acapella bit suffers a little because the mics are too close to the human shields mascots.
20.55 What do you reckon then? 8-1? 9-1? 10-1?
20.50 But Big Phil has brought his strategic defence initiative with him ...
20.46 These people are taking longer to get over it ...
20.42 Wesley Sneijder has done his hamstring in the warm-up and will be replaced in the strating XI by Jonathan de Guzman.
20.37 Fans of ITV watch will be keen to know that Matt Smith, the ridiculously underrated Matt Smith, has been given the prestige gig tonight with Adrian Chiles, the Boing Boing ITV Soccer Big Cheese, is saving his vocal cords and quizzical doggedness for tomorrow night.
20.35 Sorry for that brief intermission. I was having to construct my own teamsheets - fone for the Dutch, I think I've done four of their games but this is my Brazil debut this tournament and what a cracker they've given me.
20.22 It didn't take her long to get over it ...
20.15 Just the one change for the Dutch, Jordy Clasie for Nigel De Jong, which makes one think Louis van Gaal is determined to remind everyone of his selectorial infallibility or give two fingers up to the Total Football purists who despise and decry his system. The Dutch, of course, thought they were having an exhibition game against Croatia in 1998 and got mugged when Croatia set off determined to win at all costs, so perhaps once bitten is the order of their day.For Brazil, it's three midfielders a game too late, and a banishment for poor old Fred, who helped them win the Confederations Cup last year and has been a convenient scapegoat for a flawed team that lacks leadership and backbone.
20.10 The teams!
Brazil (4-3-2-1)Julio Cesar; Maicon, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Maxwell; Ramires, Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho; Oscar, Willian; Jo.
Holland (3-5-2) Cillessen; De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi; Kuyt, Wijnaldum, Clasie, Sneijder, Blind; Robben, Van Persie.
Referee Djamel Haimoudi (Alg)
20.00 Good evening. There was some talk before tonight's match about Brazil needing to redeem themselves by defeating Holland and earning third place. The concept of redemption after Tuesday night's debacle seems laughable. 'Sorry I burnt down your house, smashed up your car, flicked your kids' ears, humiliated you live on television in front of a global audience of more than a billion, widdled in your soup, insulted your parents and demolished your self-confidence and pride in sharing the history you do, here's a box of Terry's Neapolitans to make up for it. Sorry, contrary to the belief of Reg and Bernie, is not the hardest word. In circumstances such as this it is the easiest word ... and the most unnecessary. We know they are sorry and we know now is not the time for them to do anything about it. Talk of amends, redemption, phoenix from the flames are preposterous. They simply need to play, say nothing and get the effing jeff out of Dodge for a few weeks.
Neymar has urged his Brazil team-mates to rescue some of their battered pride after their humiliating World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany by beating the Netherlands in Saturday's third-place play-off in Brasilia.
It is the one game that no team ever wants to take part in, but the encounter at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium took on extra significance after the hosts' dream of lifting the trophy at the Maracana 24 hours later was ended by their record 7-1 loss against the Germans.
Neymar missed that match after fracturing a bone in his back in the quarter-final win against Colombia, but the 22-year-old superstar faced the media on Thursday as he called for Brazil to bow out on a high.
'It was unbelievable, inexplicable. We had the opportunity to write our names into history in a positive manner, and we failed,' he said of the Selecao's embarrassing semi-final loss, their heaviest-ever defeat.
'We haven't had a good campaign. We were consistent, which is why we reached the semi-finals, but we didn't play the kind of enchanting football associated with Brazil.
'Now we need to approach Saturday's game as if it were the final and finish the World Cup smiling, with a victory. It is not going to lessen the pain, but it is important.'
The match could prove to be Luiz Felipe Scolari's last in charge, and the coach is likely to make changes to a team whose confidence has been so badly damaged.
Captain Thiago Silva will return after suspension, while his Paris Saint-Germain colleague Maxwell, the only outfield player yet to feature, may play a part.
Despite Neymar's rallying cry, almost all of those involved in Brasilia would rather be elsewhere, with Daniel Alves having made clear his lack of appetite for the bronze-medal clash.
'The important thing is first place. Nothing else matters,' said the right-back. 'We represent millions of people, so we have to digest this defeat and go out onto the field on Saturday. But, for me, every game is about being first.'
The mood in the Dutch camp is the same. The Oranje have a day less to prepare for the match after their agonising defeat on penalties to Argentina in Wednesday's second semi-final in Sao Paulo.
However, in contrast to Brazil, Holland will be able to look back on a campaign which started with a 5-1 thumping of Spain as a success.
Manager Louis van Gaal, who will take charge of Manchester United after the World Cup, told a news conference the third-place game 'should never be played' and noted he had been saying the same thing for 10 years.
'But the worst thing is I believe that chances are that you lose twice in a row,' he said.
'And a tournament in which you've played so marvelously well, you would go home as a loser just because you could possibly have lost the last two matches and this has got nothing to do with sport in my view.
'So, in a football tournament particularly not at the last stage you shouldn't have players playing match for third-fourth place. Because there is only one award that counts and that is becoming world champion.'
'We have had a fantastic tournament. Nobody expected us to get beyond the group stage,' said coach Louis van Gaal, who must motivate himself for his final match at the helm before he takes over at Manchester United.
'We have a day's less rest, which is not very fair. The third-place play-off is pointless. I was saying that 15 years ago, because you can have a fantastic tournament and then finish with two defeats,' he added.
With the sole exception of third-choice goalkeeper Michel Vorm, every member of the Dutch squad has played some part at the tournament, but Van Gaal may choose to give younger players such as Jordy Clasie and Memphis Depay a run-out from the start here.
Meanwhile, Nigel de Jong could miss out after surprisingly featuring for an hour against Argentina, just 10 days after tearing a groin muscle in the last-16 win over Mexico.
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